Data, Power & Pedagogy

Every day, billions of people are being tracked, profiled and targeted by advertisers, social media platforms and governments. Most people do not understand how this process works, and because data collection lacks transparency, educators have few tools for making the realities of data tangible in the classroom. Furthermore, significant questions remain about how we make sense of mass data collection as a facet of modern life through the lenses of privacy, ethics and epistemology.

This event will be hands-on, with the goal of conceiving and designing practical resources that educators and researchers can use to teach and run experiments centered on data and targeted advertising. The finished product will be published and free for use, with credit to each of our participants.

Ideas will also be developed in partnership with HestiaLabs, which builds tools for data collectives and supports projects aimed at helping people understand how their personal data is used for targeted advertising. The research of HestiaLabs’ founder, Paul-Olivier Dehaye, played a vital role in uncovering the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal.